TOUBA

Category |

Ethnography, History, Migration, Religion

Year |

2013

Country |

USA

Running time |

83’

Format |

16mm, HD

Production |

Little Monster Films, Other Films

Director |

Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi

Touba reveals a face of Islam essential to these divisive times. It chronicles the Grand Magaal pilgrimage of 1 million Sufi Muslims to the holy city of Touba, Senegal. This observational film takes us inside the Mouride Brotherhood: one of Africa’s most elusive organizations. Pilgrims travel from all over the world to pay homage to the life and teachings of Cheikh Amadou Bamba. His non-violent resistance to French colonial persecution in the late 19th century inspired a national movement: freedom of religious expression through pacifism. These are lessons the world can learn.